I would like to share with you a Stoic evening meditation that I’ve come across and found very interesting. Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 65) gives an account of this meditation, initially promoted by an other Roman philosopher called Sextius (fl. 50 BC). So it goes like this: ”Every day, we must call upon […]
In this article, I would like to describe the main characteristics of depersonalization and derealisation experiences and some of my findings resulting from my research during my postgraduate studies with regard to depersonalization among drug users and meditators. Definition / Phenomenology First of all, what is a depersonalization (DP) experience? According to the DSM V, a major, […]
I would like to briefly describe the currently most established psychological treatment approaches to depersonalization that I also use in my work when treating the symptoms. These approaches are based on Cognitive-Behavioural and Acceptance and Commitment therapy interventions. I apply these within a hypnotherapy framework. Cognitive interventions We have seen how important the personal interpretation of a […]
We can classify the different approaches to hypnotherapy using roughly three big categories: Cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapies, Ericksonian hypnotherapies and Psychodynamic hypnotherapies. In this brief discussion, I will describe the main characteristics of these approaches and the most prominent differences between them. Cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) uses hypnosis partly as a facilitator, a therapeutically ideal context when applying CBT interventions. CBH also uses […]
From the very beginning, the therapeutic and entertainment aspects of hypnotic practices have always been intertwined. Mesmer and many other practitioners of mesmerism and later hypnotism (e.g. Jean-Martin Charcot), besides their private therapeutic practice, often made public demonstrations in a theatrical manner. These demonstrations, apart from serving educational and publicity purposes meant excellent entertainment. […]
From mesmerism to hypnotism In the history of philosophical, religious and healing practices, we can find many elements that greatly resemble what we call hypnosis today. These elements often include: Creating an altered state of awareness; Chanting words and phrases with the belief in their transforming power; Facilitating healing with the power of touch […]